Electrical info for winter riders

[Scubadvr]

Have not been able to find out the B1250's "official" alternator output.  I've seen this question come up in other forums as well, so thought I'd post my findings here for those who want to add heated clothing, but were unsure how much they can add.

Just verified that the B1250's alternator has more than 130 watts extra capacity.  Wired up a voltage monitor, put the Warm-n-safe jacket liner (100W) and the Gerbings gloves (30W) on max, and the battery still charges at idle.  On my test ride, I had to turn the jacket liner and gloves way down; it was 40 degrees out, and they got way too warm after a couple of miles. 

Last winter (on a V-Strom), even as low as 2 degrees F, I only needed the jacket liner at 50%, and the gloves at 100%, so there's plenty of excess voltage available.  I might even try a pair of heated socks this year for longer rides........

[Good Juju]

Good to know.  Thanks for the info.

[solerida]

Hey, thanks for the info, good to know if it will be able to handle any extra load.

[CWO4GUNNER]

Have not been able to find out the B1250's "official" alternator output.  I've seen this question come up in other forums as well, so thought I'd post my findings here for those who want to add heated clothing, but were unsure how much they can add.

Just verified that the B1250's alternator has more than 130 watts extra capacity.  Wired up a voltage monitor, put the Warm-n-safe jacket liner (100W) and the Gerbings gloves (30W) on max, and the battery still charges at idle.  On my test ride, I had to turn the jacket liner and gloves way down; it was 40 degrees out, and they got way too warm after a couple of miles. 

Last winter (on a V-Strom), even as low as 2 degrees F, I only needed the jacket liner at 50%, and the gloves at 100%, so there's plenty of excess voltage available.  I might even try a pair of heated socks this year for longer rides........

So how has the jacket liner worked out and where did you buy yours? Do you think the 65W model is good enough for 60F highway riding as I suppose there is a difference between around town 40F and 60F on the highway for hours at a time?  The cold in the chest having had pneumonia a couple times makes me timid about riding in winter even in AZ. Wonder if this is the ticket?

[Scubadvr]

Hey, Gunner,

The 65W version will be more than enough for you at 60 degree weather, even for extended rides (this assumes, of course, that you have a good riding jacket over the liner).  I don't even start using my heated liner until the temps drop below 35 degrees (F). 

For comparison to longer rides, I did an extended 38-degree ride last year, and while I eventually turned the gloves on at about 30%, I never needed to turn on the jacket liner.

The Warm-n-Safe jacket liner I purchased (100W) is total overkill, at least for me.  My coldest ride yet this year was at 3 degrees (F), and I only needed the jacket somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2.  Keep in mind, I use the Warm-N-Safe TempTroller, which is not a rheostat; it provides 100% of the capacity for X percent of the time.  So, with the dial set to about half, all 100W are delivered for about a second, and then nothing for the next second.  Below 20 degrees or so, the gloves I keep turned all the way up, which means all 15W are going constantly to each glove.

The Warm-N-Safe stuff is available directly from them at http://www.warmnsafe.com/.  I went with them only because Gerbings didn't have anything over 65W, and I knew I would be riding in extremely cold temps, so I wanted the most possible.  In hindsight, that was a mistake, since I never use anything over 50% (100W half the time) with the Warm-n-Safe.  The quality of the build is higher in the Gerbings, but so is the price.  The connectors for the gloves are better on the Gerbings, as well.

The rest of my cold-weather gear consists of a Tourmaster Transitions II Jacket, the quilted liner goes in below 40 degrees.  I also use Tourmaster Caliber overpants, and don't need the quilted liner in those until the weather drops below 30 degrees.

Hope this helps!

[CWO4GUNNER]

Darn! You make me feel so guilty not wanting to ride in 50-60F degree weather Brrrrr! My hands have never bothers me too much with my thermal gloves just the chest after an hour or so in 60F and below even with my crash jacket and thermal liner its not enough for me. Thanks for the info and source Ill have to decide if $168 is really worth it to get out more often and use the bike.

[Scubadvr]

...Ill have to decide if $168 is really worth it to get out more often and use the bike.

It was for me!

[phnxazguy]

Thanks for the info. Have been using the heated gloves for years and wondered if I could safely add a heated jacket liner for longer rides. 

[Scubadvr]

Hey, phnxazguy, welcome to the forum!

Yep, if you have the 1250S, you'll be able to run both.  I still have the same setup; the equipmnet is well-built and continues to function flawlessly.  I was thinking of getting a new jacket liner to bring the requirements down to 65W (not to mention the new microwire stuff is pretty excellent), but it's hard to drop that kind of cash, so I just keep the temp troller turned way down for the jacket liner.